Department of health and human services has refuted media reports which linked the Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest to Victoria’s recent Covid-19 outbreak.
The previous media reports claimed that States new triple digit case increase was a consequence of 10,000 people attending the protest on June 6th, despite warnings from the government.
The Australian stated that they had evidence of links between the protest and a new cluster of cases in public housing towers in the city’s inner northwest, which contributed to the second wave of infections.
It reads,
“Victorian health authorities have confirmed a link between two COVID-19 cases in people who attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne’s CBD just over a month ago, and the cluster of at least 242 cases in public housing towers.”
A statement released this week by the department claims there is no link, confirming that of the six cases who attended the Black Lives Matter protest, there is no evidence to suggest the protests as the source of infection.
One protester “may have been infectious at the rally,” two others have since tested positive for Covid-19 were not infectious at the rally.
The DHHS statement read,
‘None of these cases are known to reside at a major public housing complex. Currently no known nor suspected episodes of transmission occurred at the protest itself.’
120 of the housing cases in the week to June 22nd have instead been traced back to family gatherings, says Victorian Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton.
Despite these assertions contradict the guidance of Health officials, the public remains misinformed as The Australian’s article spread fast across varying social media platforms.
The unsubstantial link was reported on Sky News Australia and shared by popular right-wing commentators such as Avi Yemeni, who boasts an audience of over 400,000 subscribers.
So, while Victoria enters into yet another round of restrictions, Covid-19 has now become more than just an issue of health.
While tens of thousands demand an end to indigenous deaths in custody, they face an unnecessary backlash of blame.
Dot Points:
- 242 new cases in public housing
- 120 of these cases linked to family gatherings
- 5,165 cases in Victoria in total (most cases to a state in Australia)
- Australia now entering its second wave